Someone for Her
by MomofPhoenix
Summary: This is a Tart story with a twist. Stephanie's past is catching up with her, and it's not in a way you would think. Join me on this twisty tale, and I hope you enjoy. The M rating will definitely be needed in future chapters. ***Please make a note of the A/N and the beginning an end of Chapter one*** Thanks
1. Chapter 1

A/N not mine, I own nothing.

This is a Tart story. Yes, I am a Babe, but Batman doesn't always get the girl. Who better to have an HEA with than his right hand man.

Someone for Her

I, Stephanie Michelle Plum, have officially done it. I broke the Burg. I told my mom where she could shove her pineapple upside down cake, when Morelli and I split for good. I couldn't stand hearing how my life was ruined anymore.

My grandma Mazur cheered me on, my dad just kept shoveling food into his mouth and Val did her best fish impression.

The very first thing I did was make the drive to Rangeman. I needed to see my best friend. Ranger and I had a long talk months ago. He wasn't ready to have a relationship with anyone, but if he ever was it would be with me. I let him know that a part of me would always love him, but I needed to move forward with my life. Whether it was with Morelli or someone else.

The kisses and touches, with the exception of friendly ones, had stopped and we both learned how to just be friends to each other.

Once I got to Rangeman that evening, Ranger was out on a call with Lester. I decided to wait on the control room floor and just hang out with some of the guys who were milling about in the break room.

One of my favorite merry men, Cal, was telling me about his take down today with Junior. While he was in the middle of the story, I felt a rather large set of arms wrap around my waist and lift me up. Surprised the crap out of me.

"Little girl, to what do we owe the pleasure of your visit tonight?"

"I broke the Burg."

He let out a full on belly laugh as he set me down on my feet. I could so get used to being picked up and held in someone's arms. It is something I dream about having in my life, but doubt that will ever happen. Being a single woman seems to be my lot in life.

"Single woman? What do you mean? I know you and the cop broke up two months ago, but hasn't Ranger asked you out?" Tank asked me.

I shook my head no and replied,"We talked, and he isn't at a place in his life where he feels that he can have a relationship. So, we are working on just being friends. No one else seems to want to even look at me at the clubs, and everyone here sees me as their little sister. So, I'm thinking that I will be single for a long time to come."

The guys looked at me like I had grown another head, and Tank pulled me towards his office. When we got there he pulled me inside and shut the door.

"Alright, Big Guy, what's going on?"

He seemed to be struggling with what to say to me.

"Did I do something wrong, Tank?"

"No, Steph, you didn't. I just wanted to talk to you away from the guys."

"So? What do you want to talk to me about?"

He took a deep breath before he started to speak.

"I wanted to get you out of there before anyone else had a chance to ask you on a date."

"Huh? Wait, what?"

"Steph, would you like to go on a date with me?"

"Really? You actually want to take me out on a date? Like in public somewhere?"

"Yes, Steph, I do."

"I'd like that."

"I have off tomorrow night. Why don't we go to dinner at Point Pleasant, and to the pier afterwards?"

"I would love to."

He stood up and walked over to me. As he wrapped his arms around my waist, I looked up into his rich chocolate colored eyes. He lowered his lips to mine. I swore I saw fireworks go off as we kissed. His office door opened.

"Explain!" Ranger barked at us.

I froze for a moment, and Tank spoke up faster than I could.

"Steph and I are going on a date tomorrow night and we just kissed. I believe that was pretty obvious Ranger. Now did you need something, or have you become Vinnie and started bugging my private office."

Ranger looked horrified, Tank just smirked, and I outright laughed at the thought of Ranger being compared to my weasel of a cousin. Ranger shook the bad imagery out of his head.

"Babe, can you come to my office when you're done here? I have a distraction job for Sunday afternoon to discuss with you."

He turned on his heels and walked back to his office.

"I'll pick you up from your apartment tomorrow at 4:30. That way we can walk the boardwalk before dinner. Is that alright with you? " Tank asked me.

"I'd like that."

He pressed a light kiss to my lips.

"I'll see you then."

I nodded, because that kiss stole my breath away. I couldn't speak if I tried. I never felt that way when someone kissed me before. There was a content feeling, along with the heat. It felt like I was right where I belonged.

I made my way to Ranger's office, steeling myself for what was about to happen. I knocked and heard him gruffly say enter.

"You wanted to talk to me about a job?"

He ran a hand through his long hair. He had let it down when he came back to his office.

"Yes, Babe. Aaron Nicholson is our target. He is wanted by the ATF and FBI on various charges. He will be at the convention center on Sunday afternoon for the concert. He goes to these and picks up women who are already there with someone. You are exactly the type of woman he tends to go for. You would be inside with Hal. Will you do it?"

"Of course. What are his charges?"

We spent the next hour going over the plan for Sunday. When we were finished, I got up to leave. He stopped me.

"Why Tank?" He asked me.

"He asked me. Ranger, you can't get upset about this. I told you before, that I deserve to find someone. I can't wait around for a someday that will most likely never happen."

"How do you know it's never going to happen?"

"Ranger, as much as I love you, I know that you would never commit to me while you are under contract. I also know that two months ago you signed another two year contract. The guys talk, Ranger. I was hurt that you didn't tell me yourself, then I realized that no matter how I feel about you, you're Batman, and no one gets to marry Batman."

"Babe."

"No, Ranger. You made your choice, and I need to make mine. Please don't take this out on anyone. I need to find someone who can really love me. Someone who doesn't want to change me, someone who will take me out, not hide me away. This is the first date I've had since I was engaged to Dickie."

"I've taken you out."

"That was all work related. I was paid to do that, to help you complete jobs you were on. You never took me out just to be with me."

He looked at me, his blank face gone. I could see the hurt in his eyes, as it dawned on him that I was right. I felt guilty for putting that look there.

"You're right. I'm sorry."

I nodded my head and walked out of his office. I made my way to my POS car and drove to my apartment in silence.

My spidey senses we on full alert when I got to my front door. I didn't even bother going in. I ran back to my car and called the control room at Rangeman.

Ten agonizing minutes later the men in black showed up. I explained what was going on, and the guys knew not to discount my intuition. They went upstairs while Tank waited with me.

His phone beeped. He looked at the text he had gotten.

"They need us upstairs, Little Girl."

We made our way to my apartment, and what we saw had me frozen in place. It looks like my secret was about to come out.

There was no denying what was in the pictures that were tossed about everywhere, and glued to my walls.

Shit! How was I going to explain this to them. The only person in this room who knew who I really was is in a few of those pictures. I looked over at Lester, his eyes were closed and his head was tipped back.

"I think you need to call Nighthawk, Beautiful."

"Shit!"

A/N Thank You Maggie! You are amazing!

Important note;

This is currently being written as I finish up on The Price to be Paid. Once that story is done, I will post more to this one...also please don't shot me...stick with me, you may like it.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N not mine, I own nothing.

Wow! I was blown away with the reviews for this one so far! Thank you! I am so glad it has been well received! By the way Annie...here is your gentle nudge...please can I have the next chapter of Here Kitty Kitty, please.

Someone for Her Chapter 2

Ranger's face took on a very dark look. Tank had a look that I couldn't explain. Cal looked confused and Binkie, well he had a look that said everything he saw just confirmed everything he already knew.

Lester spoke up, "We need to do a full clean and wipe here now! I'll have the team here in five minutes to do that. We need to get Steph back to Rangeman and we can talk there. This place is no longer secure. No one is to say anything or pass any kind of judgment until you hear the full story. You will all have to sign a non-disclosure contract, and if any of you breech it, you will be taken and jailed for the rest of your lives without any kind of trial."

Lester had pulled out his CO voice. One that none of the guys here had ever been privy too. Not even Ranger knew that we both outranked everyone in this room and that our security levels made theirs look like child's play.

I had to stifle a laugh as they all snapped to attention at the voice of command. The clean-up team had arrived, and I instantly recognized them.

Jo, Mike, Tiger, and Tony all stopped to salute Lester and I when they entered. This was my team and I had been compromised. They had my back.

Lester barked out orders to them and we left. The silence in the SUV with Ranger and Tank was deafening. You could cut the tension with a knife. They were going to hate me once I told them everything.

We pulled into Rangeman, and made our way to a secured conference room. While we waited for Lester and the rest of the team, Tank pulled me aside.

"I'm guessing our date will need to be put on hold?"

"After everything Lester and I have to tell you guys, if you still want to go out, we will find a way to make that happen. Just please listen to what we have to tell you first."

"I will."

He kissed me as the guys' team walked in. The look on their faces was priceless.

"Alright, Plum, stop kissing Tank, we need to get down to business. Everyone in this room needs to sign a non-disclosure contract before we can go any further."

Once everyone read and signed the paperwork, Lester cleared his throat.

"Everything said here stays in this room. Once I am cleared by my boss, all of you will get the files I have with me."

Everyone noticed the change in both Lester and I. We had played our parts for so long now, that it was surprisingly easy to fall back into command.

"Santos! Pass 'em out!" I barked out.

"Ma'am, yes Ma'am!"

The guys looked at me funny as he handed them each a file.

"Gentlemen! I am only telling this story one time. All questions will be answered at the end.

"On my 18th birthday I was approached by Nighthawk. He had been following my achievements from the time I turned 12 years old. He asked me to become a member of a special forces team. I joined and stayed with them until I was compromised by my ex-husband. The official story was that I had caught him and Joyce on my dining room table. In truth, he had found out what I really did for a living and was trying to blackmail me. Thankfully, after some inventive medical care, he and Joyce also believe that story.

"The pictures you saw in my apartment were mostly from a mission I was on with Lester. At that time, we were undercover in South Africa as a married couple on our honeymoon.

"We were able to take out our target and return home. I believe that whoever is behind this was either a member of the team that was with us, or is a member of the Moambi family."

Ranger's head snapped up at that name.

"Shit! You were the woman on that one? How the hell didn't I recognize you? I was part of the team for that!"

"Ranger you always said I was the best at distraction. Think about it, did I over once let you see me without my full makeup and sunglasses the entire mission? Did you ever see me at the meetings? No, you didn't. I stayed in the shadows. That's who I am. After Dickie, I was forced out into the open. Nighthawk knew that Lester was your cousin, and set it up that I would be able to meet you. Coincidentally you owed Connie a favor.

"The biggest catch was that I couldn't use any of my own skills. They did come out a few times though, but that was to protect all of us."

Ranger raised an eyebrow at me.

"Abruzzi," was all I said. He nodded at me.

Just as I was beginning to speak again, Hector knocked on the door and stuck his head in.

"Someone's here for Lester and Bomber."

"Nighthawk?" Hector nodded, " Send him in."

A large, older General walked into the room, we all stood.

"At ease, everyone. Plum, what the hell have you gotten into this time?"

I nodded to Lester who quickly brought him up to date.

"Any idea who it might be?"

"A few. One of them I am hoping I am wrong about, but honestly this reeks of Thompson. My other option is a member of the Moambi family, or heaven forbid, a combination of the two."

"Ranger, I know Shadow and her team will be in on this. What about you and yours?"

Everyone's eyes went wide at the sound of my code name. Ranger accepted on behalf of Rangeman. We finished up with the meeting and found we all would have to leave for D.C. in the morning.

After everyone left, it was almost four in the morning, and we had to be wheels up by 8. Thankfully, Lester always kept a go bag for me at his place, just in case something like this happened. He brought it to me and kissed the top of my head. Tank had hung back to talk to me for a minute. Looks like I would be catching a nap on the couch in Ranger's office tonight, well this morning.

I must have said that out loud, because Tank pulled me into his arms.

"You can stay with me in my apartment on 4. I won't try anything, just sleep. At some point, I would really like to go on that date. You are even more than I expected.

"I understand why you couldn't tell us anything. Just so you know, I have studied Shadow's, well your, missions since I became a Ranger. You are the standard that we try to achieve on each mission. I always wanted to shake your hand."

" How about you kiss me goodnight instead?"

He did, once he closed the door to his apartment behind us.

He tossed me one of his t-shirts to sleep in, and it almost swallowed me completely. We laid down on the bed and he pulled me to him.

An hour an a half later, I woke with my head on his chest and his arms around me. I wasn't ready for this to end.

A/N Thank You Maggie aka Vulcan Rider! You are an awesome beta! I think we are in for a wild ride with this one!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N not mine, I own nothing.

Someone for Her, Chapter 3

Things began to move rapidly once I was awake. I threw on my clothing from the day before and grabbed my go bag. Making sure I was fully "dressed." It had been so long since I wore all of my weapons, but damn if it didn't feel good.

The only good thing to come from this entire situation was that I could be myself again, instead of the meek woman I had portrayed. There was also the fact that the guys from Rangeman understood and were willing to have my back.

I thought back to last night's events and realized I was missing something. The look on Binkie's face clearly showed he had some knowledge of something and I needed to find out what.

Tank walked up and pulled me to his chest.

"I always thought you looked good before, but now fully dressed... It's taking a lot to keep from picking you up and taking you back to the bedroom."

"As much as I like the way you are thinking, we need to take this slow. Someone is after me, and he or she is not the normal crazy that comes after me. We also really to take a moment and talk about what we are looking for. If all you want is a fuck buddy, then you need to start looking elsewhere.

"I need to find out what Binkie knows, I could see it in his eyes last night."

"Steph, I have wanted you from the moment I laid eyes on you. We can go as slow as you want. Okay?" He said as he carrased my face with his hand.

"Why do you think Binkie knows something?"

"Just the look of recognition on his face when he saw the pictures last night has me a little worried."

Tank nodded his head in understanding. He placed his arms around me and kissed my curls.

"Okay, let's move."

We made our way to the large conference room for a quick briefing before we could head off to D.C. I spotted Binkie and pulled him aside.

"You need to tell me what you know now, or I will make you regret everything you didn't tell me."

"Shadow, it's me, Echo."

"Holy Shit! What the hell did they do to your nose?"

"Nighthawk wanted someone at your back, so a few alterations and here I am. Lester doesn't know, and I'd rather he didn't. He might still try to kill me after that mission in Shanghai."

"No Shit! I still don't know how you managed to convince them that he was your sex slave and you were considering selling to the highest bidder." I was laughing so hard at the memory that the tears were rolling down my face.

Tank quirked an eyebrow at me and I just shook my head. Everything was alright with "Binkie".

Lester was eyeing us suspiciously. You could see the moment of recognition on his face. I began to laugh harder when I heard him growling something about paybacks. When Binkie let out a whimper, I completely lost it.

Nighthawk walked in.

"Plum! I am so glad you find something so amusing. You need to sit your ass down and pay attention, NOW!"

That sobered me rather fast. I took a seat next to Tank and he placed his hand on my knee.

"Here is what I gathered so far. Looks like we have a leak in our special forces. Someone is gunning for Shadow, and they are using the Moambi family to get to her. Our number one priority will be to protect her at all costs. Not even the president will be able to get near her. She is the most valuable field operative we have ever had. Manoso, you may think you are the best, but you are a distant second compared to her. I will brief you on the history of the South Africa mission once we are secure in Washington. We need to head out. Wheels up in 30 at the airstrip.

"Lester and Binkie, play nice. Once we eliminate this threat, then you can beat the hell out of each other. Only condition is no one can die."

I lost it again as Nighthawk turned and walked out of the room. Lester was glaring at Binkie and he was trying to make himself as small as possible. Everyone else was looking at us with questions in their eyes.

We all made our way to the airstrip without any bloodshed. I was impressed.

As soon as we were airborne, I could feel Ranger's eyes on me. Tank was holding my hand. I looked up from where our hands were joined and saw Ranger watching me with a newfound) curiosity.

"Do you need something?" I asked him.

"I just am trying to wrap my brain around all of this."

"Don't try too hard, you might shake something loose."

"I get the classified military ops. Your instincts are better than anyone else I've ever seen. I'm just having a hard time with other aspects of your life changing. I just wish they weren't, but I will support it."

"That's all I ask, Ranger. Thank you."

With that said, we began our descent into D.C.

As we walked onto the tarmac, I saw someone that I never thought I would see again. He was standing with the rest of my team, and the smile on his face had enough megawatts to light up the entire eastern seaboard.

"Jamie!" I yelled, and ran into his embrace.

"Shadow, beautiful as always. I think I need to let you go, though. It looks like Tank and Ranger want to take off my head. Let's go over and tell them."

We made our way back to the guys and I snuggled into Tank's side. Jamie gave us an odd look.

"Well hell, Cuz! You and Tank? No wonder he looks like he wants to strangle me."

"Tank, Ranger, this is my cousin, Jamie Plum. Jamie, I'll let Ranger introduce the rest of the..."

I was cut off by Lester.

"Jamie! What the hell?! I guess we should be singing the gang's all here."

They did the one-armed man hug and fist bump. It was so good to be back.

General Nealy came up to Tank and I. He glared at Tank.

"Hurt Shadow, and I will find the deepest, darkest jungle in the Congo and bury your ass."

Tank just raised an eyebrow and quipped, "Get in line."

We made our way to the strategy room. There was a large bank of monitors surrounding the almost dark room. The octagon-shaped table was a deep brown. There were files at each seat.

I closed my eyes a took a deep breath. I was excited to be back.

A/N Thank You Maggie ! You are Awesome as always!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N not mine, I own nothing.

Someone for Her, Chapter 4

We each had a folder that held all the intelligence that was had on me and the Moambi op. All of my team, and Ranger and Binkie were the only ones who knew anything about the op, but only Les and I knew the whole story, and some of the things that were about to come out would piss Ranger and Tank off. I sent Lester a look that begged his forgiveness. He nodded at me and I began.

"Gentlemen, what is in this file needs to stay in this room. I want to explain a few things before you open them. Lester and I, as I am sure you noticed, have always shared a special bond. Ranger, at one point it was as strong as the one you and I shared. Actually, it was stronger.

"Sadly, that bond was broken in a way that has torn people apart for centuries. Our friendship took a long time to rebuild after everything that happened, after what I caused to happen..." Lester interrupted me.

"Beautiful, you have to stop blaming yourself for it. You heard what the doctors said, there was nothing that you or I could have done to save her."

"I could have backed out of the damn mission, Les! She might have had a chance if we had been here. Damn it! Why don't you get that?!" I screamed at him.

"And this is why we are just friends, Beautiful. We weren't healthy together, almost as bad as you and Morelli."

I was deflated in those few words, he was right. After everything had happened, we became toxic as a couple, but as friends, nothing could tear us apart.

"Would someone explain what the hell is going on here?!" Ranger shouted at us.

I took a deep breath, "Before we left on the mission, Lester and I found out we were expecting. The mission was classified as low risk, so I decided to take it anyway. I was almost six months along before the op had ended. I had been able to keep it concealed. Our medic, Marc, was handling my prenatal care. He had the training for it and we used it to our advantage. As some of you already know, he was KIA in the next mission he had been assigned.

"Anyway, at our extraction I went into premature labor. They were able to get me stable and to an airbase in Germany. Once there, however, I gave birth to our daughter. Sofia didn't make it, she was stillborn. Lester and I fought for a long time after that. About two, almost three years later, I was back in Trenton. My short-lived marriage was over, and you all know the rest of the story."

There was a stunned silence that filled the room. I raised my eyes to look at them.

"The tat that says Sofia with the the angel wings above your heart. That's why you have it Santos?" Ranger asked him.

I saw Lester nod slightly, his eyes were closed and his shoulders slumped.

"I lost two of the most important women in my life that day. Things were never the same between us, and it just got worse.

"We decided to separate and try to be friends again. I really think it worked out for the best."

Ranger gave me a strange look. Tank put his arms around me and whispered,

"I'm so sorry you went through that."

Ranger spoke up next.

"Is that why you told the family you were marrying the girl of your dreams, and then it was off?"

Lester only nodded. Neither one of us could say anymore about it. General Nealy called for a thirty-minute) break, knowing that the high emotions in the room were not conducive to the rest of this meeting.

Everyone except Tank, Ranger and me left the room. Ranger gave me a resigned look. Tears were filling my eyes. The raw emotions of losing my daughter were boiling over.

Tank pulled me into his arms as I gathered myself together.

"Babe?"

"I'm okay, Ranger. I just...well, I know that is all in the file. So, I wanted you all to hear it from me, not in some impersonal file. We kept quiet about Sofia, because not only is it a painful memory, but we didn't want anything to be able to connect Lester and I together.

"God, we were so excited when we found out. The first person we told was Abuela Rosa. In the end, she was the only person we told. She was a big help to me afterwards. When I married Dickie, she was disappointed with me. She hasn't spoken to me since, and refuses my calls. Anyway, that's not the point. Can you give Tank and I a few moments please?"

"Sure, Babe. There's about 15 minutes left, I'll go get some coffee."

He left Tank and me alone in the room. I was sitting on his lap, while he rubbed circles on my back.

"Steph, Baby Doll, I get it. I understand why you never told us. It doesn't change anything, I still want to date you, have a relationship with you.

"I respect that you and Santos share a special bond. I'm glad that you do. He'll always try to help keep you safe. Even if you _**can**_ hand us all our asses."

"You need to be _sure_ that you want the baggage that comes with me. There is a lot, and while I don't get called up as often as I once was, I still do about once a year for a few days."

"I can handle this. You of all people should understand that I can."

I nodded and a few moments later, everyone filed back into the room. I realized that we could handle this.

General Nealy nodded at Nighthawk, who began to speak.

"The Moambi family were a low-level threat with money laundering. They were beginning to escalate into human trafficking. They had begun to kidnap tourists to sell to the highest bidder, more specifically, they were only going after American tourists. We sent a team in, with Shadow and Santos in charge. They were to appear as a newly-married couple on their honeymoon.

"Once the op was over, we had no reason NOT to believe that the entire family was taken out. However, our new Intel shows that we were wrong. We also have a traitor in our ranks. I am not 100 percent sure, but we believe it may be Thompson. He seems to have a connection to the family. One that cannot be explained away. We have found a record of marriage between him and the eldest daughter of the family, Anjoi; we think this is how they found Shadow. He had access to those pictures and her entire file. I'm not sure how he gained it, because there are only six people who have that clearance. Our first objective will be to find out who has betrayed our country."

We were instructed to open our files. A phone rang and I could hear Nighthawk cursing under his breath as he answered. The look on his face as he hung up said it all, I was the pooch and I was being screwed.

A/N thank you again Miss. Maggie!

Also, Thank you for all of the awesome reviews! Honestly, I am surprised by it! We are slowly building Tank and Stephanie's relationship, so bear with me as we pull through a few things first.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N not mine, I own nothing.

Someone for Her, Chapter 5

"Clear the room! Evac plan 209 in place! Move, move, move!" Nealy shouted at us.

We raced out of the door, like the hounds of hell were on our heels. My team and I led the way to the underground system. Whatever was going on was bad enough that they would destroy the building.

We were out of the building in under ten minutes. That was just enough time and distance for us to be able to watch the building implode and begin to burn.

"So, where to next, Babydoll?" Tank asked as he pulled me close.

Lester and Ranger both had a pained look on their faces.

"We need to meet up at the safe house tomorrow at 0500. Lester, you and Jo take Ranger and his team there. Tank and the rest of our team will take the long way, since I am the target. We will meet you there by 0500. If we aren't there, you know the drill."

"Steph, I'm not leaving you behind," Lester growled.

"That's an order, soldier!" I barked at him.

"Ma'am, yes Ma'am!" He saluted and set off with the rest.

Ranger lingered on for a moment.

"Babe."

"Don't make me pull rank on your ass too Ranger, move out! Tank is staying with me because his size will come in handy for something we will come across. Now move!"

Ranger snapped a sloppy salute and took off. I muttered under my breath about bad form and court marshalling stupid soldiers who wouldn't listen to their superiors. Tank just chuckled.

I turned my glare on him, and he stood at attention immediately. I gave him the hand signal to follow behind me. We began to move slowly through the forest.

I heard the snap of a branch in front of us. I held up a single finger, and everyone stilled instantly. I carefully moved forward and was immediately met with a gun barrel pointed in my face.

"Shadow! What the hell are you doing here?" The person hissed.

"Damn it, Jones! What the hell are you doing back here?"

"I was in the building being debriefed, when the evac was ordered."

"I have become a target again. Ranger's Team is helping out this time."

I signaled my team again and they came out. Jones noticed Tank, and they did one of those goofy handshakes.

I groaned, of course they know each other.

"Move out! We need to take the long way and have to be there by sunrise. This is going to be a long night."

We began to pick our way through the forest; that was thick with pine trees. The ground was covered with a soft layer of needles that cushioned our foot steps.

"Babydoll, we need to know where we are going," Tank whispered to me.

"Safehouse," was my reply.

Almost two hours into the hike we came to a deep ravine. The only way across was to climb down and back up the other side. Tiger had all of the equipment we needed for this, so they led the way down. Jones and Tony brought up the rear.

Once we were on the other side of the ravine I found a spot for us to take a quick break. I signaled to the rest of the group that this is where we could stop. We put the few items we had with us down and secured them. Tank sat down and pulled me into his lap.

"Rest, I've got you," he whispered into my curls.

I nodded my head and slowly relaxed into him. I was safe in the knowledge that he would watch over me.

Almost three hours later we were on the move again. We were all tired and dirty at this point, and we had about two more hours of hiking to make it to the safe house. Tiger had gone up ahead of us to act as scout.

The quiet whistle had us stopping where we were. Suddenly gun shots rang out. Someone had found us, and that is a very bad thing by the sounds from up ahead.

I rushed forward, crouching low to the ground as Tank took place at my back staying high. As we moved as silently as possible, I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder. Just as the darkness began to take hold, I heard Tank speaking softly to me.

"Hang on, Babydoll. I've got you. We WILL get you to safety."

The blackness took hold.

I was beginning to come to and I heard hushed voices surrounding me. I also heard the tell tale beeping of a heart monitor, shit. I must be in the clinic.

"It's OK, Babe. Tank and Tiger got you to the safe house. There is someone here who is anxious to see those baby blues."

"Tank..." was all I could whisper out. I felt as though I was trying to fight my way out of a wet blanket.

"Shhh, it's okay, I'm here," he whispered as he climbed into the bed with me.

I looked up and saw Tank's eyes. They were full of worry and exhaustion. There was something else there as well, but I wasn't sure what it was.

"Thank you, Big Guy."

"Anytime. Although, I would prefer that you not get shot with a sedative dart again. You will be fine, you just need to let the drugs work their way out of your system. You've been out of it for forty eight hours now. A special medic says that you are hypersensitive to sedatives, and that's why you've been out for so long."

I simply nodded my head.

"Wait?! Is Bobby here?!"

Tank shook his head, and the door knob began to turn.

The look of shock on my face at who walked in had everyone chuckling.

"Marc..."

I lost it. The tears were flowing freely down my cheeks.

A/N I am so sorry this took so long to get out. Between working and doctors appointments, my muse decided to take a vacation. I am home sick from work today and she decided to make an appearance... which is a good thing, because I was ready to force her into submission to at least write a one shot for Steph's Birthday, and Halloween. My Birthday is on the 19th so it will be a present to myself, along with the puppy I am getting... I am turning 37...sigh.

Also, I was sent a PM asking me about the picture I use. That is actually me. The picture is ten years old, an ex-boyfriend, who is an amazing photographer took it.

I was told it was a great Stephanie Plum pic, so that is why I use it.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N not mine, I own nothing.

Sorry for the delay. Tank and my muse had a rather large, shall we say Tank sized, wrestling match...the muse finally won. What can I say, they big guy is just a softy when it comes to short girls with an Irish temper.

To all the reviewers, thank you for taking the time to read and writing down what you think about each chapter!

To the guest reviewer who asked what tart stands for, well...it doesn't stand for anything, but it does mean a story where Stephanie is with a Merry Man, rather than Joe (Cupcake) or Ranger (Babe). There will be an HEA (happily ever after) in this story, but it will be with Tank, Ranger's right hand man.

Now...on with our story.

Someone for Her

"Marc, they told us you were dead."

"The reports of my death have been widely exaggerated, little sis."

I giggled at the phrase, just because he botched it slightly. Only something Marc would do.

I looked up at Tank, and you could see he was trying to find the connection between us. When you put Marc and I side by side you could see we shared many physical traits. I was just waiting for it to dawn on him.

Ranger was the first to figure it out.

"Holy shit...they're twins," he whispered.

"Got it in one, Rangeman."

"How...what...wait, I missed something," Tank sputtered.

Marc and I both lost it. This was something that neither of us had learned about until we were eighteen. The day we both were recruited by Nighthawk.

"You didn't honestly believe that I am the biological daughter of Helen Plum. Really, come on guys. That is just so wrong. She adopted me at birth. Our Dad, Frank, had an affair. Marc stayed with our birth mother, and I was, oh so lucky to get stuck in the Plum household. I'm thinking that once this is all said and done though that my big brother needs to make a visit to Trenton."

"Don't know about that. The last time I was there, Helen threatened to set your grandma on me. Though, I would love to actually meet Dad."

I only nodded my head at him.

"Tank?"

"Yeah, Baby?

"Snuggle up with me, please?"

He climbed into the bed with me and Marc's eyes got large, whereas Ranger's narrowed.

"Ranger, we discussed this. I'm moving on with my life." He simply nodded and left the room.

"Umm, Steph?"

"What, Marc?"

"Want to tell me what's going on here? Why the hell you're all buddy, buddy with Tank, and why Ranger seems so pissy about it?"

I sighed.

"For the last few years, Ranger and I had a chemistry between us. He doesn't do relationships and I won't do casual. Tank and I are together now, although we still haven't had that first date yet. We were deciding on that when everything went down."

Tank snorted at the chemistry remark.

"They use to be able to light up all of Trenton with one look for days."

"Morelli?"

"He's an ass."

"Well, I could've told you that."

After that, Marc checked my vitals and left, with the promise of bringing us dinner in a few hours. I snuggled back into Tank's warm embrace. Content to lay there and be still, I hadn't felt this at peace in a very long time. The threat that hung over my head, wasn't even a blip on my radar at this point. Who knew, that in the right arms everything could feel so good.

I rolled over to face Tank; taking his face between my hands, I gently kissed his lips. Soon the kiss became more and a slight moan escaped me. His hands were slowly stroking my back. I whimpered as he pulled back from me. A slow fire was burning in the pit of my stomach, and I knew I had to have more.

He placed his forehead on mine and whispered, "Not yet, Babydoll. I want to do this right with you. I want to take my time and show you how much you mean to mean. I need you to see that I've fallen in love with you. I want you to fall in love with me before we go any further."

"You are in love with me?"

"I have been for a long time now, little girl. I think it all began when you got upset with me over the crack head."

"You know, I think you've said more to me in the last couple of days, than I've heard you say since I first met you."

"Believe it or not, I talk a lot. I just tend to get tongue tied around you."

"What changed that?"

"I found my balls...they seemed to be lodged in my throat. You know why Lula and I really split up?"

"Cause she put a ring on her finger and told everyone you were engaged?"

"Nope."

"The cats?"

"Nope."

"Why?"

"She knew how I felt about you. The day we broke up, we sat down and had a long talk. She told me not to be like Morelli or Ranger. She knew that I love you for who you are, not for what you could be, and not for what you look like. She told me to get my head out of my ass and go after the woman I really wanted. It wasn't fair to either one of us to float along like we were supposed to be together, when it was obvious to everyone around us, that we shouldn't be."

"Wow."

"Now, you and I are where we are supposed to be."

As we lay there, I looked at our entwined hands. I made note of the perfect contrasts. His hands were large, mine were smaller and more tapered. His skin is like dark chocolate, mine is like cream. My eyes traveled up to his perfect teeth, my bottom two in the front were slightly crooked. I knew that when we stood, I barely came up to his chest. He had a foot in height on me. Yet, we fit. He is absolutely right, I am with who I am supposed to be with.

We stayed like that for another hour. There was a knock at the door, I yelled for them to come in. I didn't want to move from my new favorite thinking position.

Ranger, Marc, Lester, and Nighthawk walked in. They were all carrying trays. Lester and Marc had two each.

"We decided we would eat in here with you," Lester informed me.

I wasn't buying it. Something else was going on.

"Steph, we got the person who tranqed you. They're in a holding cell for now."

"Why do I have the feeling that I am not going to like this?"

"Babe, it was Jeanine Ellen."

"Fucking cat woman! What the hell?!"

A/N: Thank you Maggie, AKA Vulcan Rider! You are an awesome beta!

Also, I know, not much action in this muse wanted more of a relationship established before Tank and Steph go any further... Tank was fighting her on it...Muse 1- Tank 40...he got me to write this story, now he is just going to have to deal with how it goes.

It may be awhile before I update again, but never fear I will finish this story and the next two part of the PRICE TO BE PAID. I just need a break. Real life is kicking my butt, and I am struggling right now in so many ways. Thanks again for reading along with me! You are all awesome for sticking by me in this fun journey.


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